Fiat "Grande Panda", whose production starts in the fall in Kragujevac, is relatively expensive for the average citizen of Serbia, so these cars will mostly be exported, probably to European Union, writes the New Economy.
According to announcements, the sale of this model should be subsidized in Serbia, and then the retail price would be 18.000, instead of 25.000 euros.
Economic analyst Bogdan Petrović tells New Economy that two items are unclear - can we give subsidies only for domestic production according to the Stabilization and Association Agreement and why are we subsidizing something that can only be available to the richest?
"Earlier Fiat models that were sold in Serbia were also subsidized, which is why sales were going well." For these subsidies announced now, we first have to see if according to the Stabilization and Association Agreement it is at all possible to subsidize only this model," says Petrović.
It will be better in the EU.
FIAT GRANDE PANDAPhoto: Rade Prelić/Tanjug
When asked if he expects that buyers in Serbia will really be interested, given the price and average salary, Petrović points to two shortcomings.
"Electric cars are primarily a toy for rich people who need a second car." They have a problem with the range, and you don't have any infrastructure for charging those cars - it means that only people who have their own garage can afford them, "says Petrović.
According to his opinion, this model can possibly hope for a better pass in the European Union (EU), but only because of the new tariffs that the EU will introduce on Chinese electric vehicles, which "are far ahead in production than the European ones".
"It's going to be a bestseller"
Carlos Tavares, executive director of the company Stelantis, within which Fiat Serbia operates, pointed out that the "grande panda" will be a "bestseller" both in Serbia and in Europe.
CARLOS TAVARES AND ALEKSANDAR VUÄŚIĆAleksandar Vučić and Karlos Tavares in Kragujevac / Photo: Rade Prelić/Tanjug
"I hope this car will be the best seller in Germany, Italy, France and Spain." I think we are now better and more competitive than the Chinese models, especially in terms of price. The 'Grande Panda' will initially be 30 percent cheaper than the others, which means that with the state subsidy it will be possible to buy it for 15.000 to 16.000 euros," Tavares said, as reported by Mondo.
He said that Stellantis' main motive is to adapt new products to the technologies that customers want, which allows the company to meet current regulations.
"For the Serbian market, we will produce between 35.000 and 50.000 vehicles per year, and the factory in Kragujevac has a capacity of 150.000." It is clear that the production of this factory will not be entirely for the needs of the Serbian market and that most of it will be exported. This means two things: cost competitiveness and quality. The attractiveness of the product is visible to all of us and I think that the 'grande panda' has the right technology," Tavares said.
"Very good move on lithium"
He assessed that the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding on strategic partnership between Serbia and the European Union in the field of sustainable raw materials, value chains of batteries and electric vehicles is "a very good move for Serbia regarding lithium".
"The biggest weakness of electric vehicles is their affordability. To keep costs down, you have to have smaller batteries, as they account for more than 40 percent of the total cost of manufacturing a car. To do this, you need more efficient battery cells that will come in the future and will be able to use a different chemistry than lithium-ion. So I think it's a good move and we are, of course, part of that story," Tavares said.
Compact and well organized car
The Grande Panda is inspired by the 1980s model, and is the first vehicle on the market to include an integrated charging cable, which pairs with a standard onboard charger of up to seven kilowatts.
The spiral cable has a special housing under the hood, which saves space in the trunk and is convenient to use.
The "Grande Panda" stands out from other cars in the B-segment thanks to the compactness made possible by its small size of 3,99 meters in length, 1,57 meters in height and 1,76 meters in width, and well-organized space.
The trunk has a volume of 361 liters, and the total capacity of the storage compartments located in front of the passenger is 13 liters.
